Ahri's Fate
by Talonproductions
Summary: Ahri's lore begins at the inception of her seductive powers. But what becomes of the instinctual side of her when she becomes more and more human? In a tale of self worth, and belonging, Ahri must overcome her new found emotions, and begin her true journey. Will she find love, or will no one love a murderer? Haitus is over, however, irregular uploads ensue!
1. Ahri's Fate - Feeling - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Feeling

High Counselor Meegan Pa'Chua was taken aback. He wasn't sure if she was serious, or toying with him. "Could you repeat your request fair one, if you speak the truth that is." Meegan spoke to her calmly, but still with a look of surprise on his face, and with a healthy amount of curiosity.

"I'd like to live with other human beings, in a village, or a city. Somewhere that would accept me, or allow me to be with them." Ahri stated flatly to the High Counselor.

"That's what I thought you said." Meegan uttered as he turned his head to his left, away from Ahri's face, and began stroking his long beard. "May I inquire why you have had this sudden calling, mighty champion of the League?"

"I don't need to express to you my feelings High Counselor, I only come to you with this demand." The 9-tailed fox spoke with a small amount of malice, just enough to get her point across.

This gave the High Counselor pause. He knew by her tone of voice that she was absolutely serious. What if he agreed? He would take Ahri in as one of their own? Would it be safe? What if there were riots in the streets of whatever place took her in?

"I just don't understand why you want this. I'd like a good reason before we would fulfill your… request." Meegan tried to dissuade Ahri, as if she didn't have a right to ask for it. "It's that we already fulfilled our agreement for you to be in the League of Legends, and that was you receive the souls of those you defeated. Which was many, so I'm not sure why we would be obligated to help you with such a thing." The High Counsellor felt well spoken, so he thought she might be deterred by his reasoning. Either she gives a good reason, or she doesn't get the League to help her new found goal. He had her trapped.

"I don't care about your understanding, this isn't just a request, it's an ultimatum Meegan! If the League doesn't do this for me, then I'm no longer a champion counted among its ranks." Ahri fiercely retorted, taking a step forward as she did so, and raised an accusing finger, pointing at the High Counselor's face.

Meegan was taken aback by this, thrown of his guard, and it was clear he was losing his cool. "Now, don't rush to any conclusions here Ahri, we can work this out, just don't leave the League!" The Counselor hurriedly tried to convince the kitsune to remain calm about the situation, as he raised two, outwards palms towards her.

If Meegan allowed Ahri to leave, the League of Legends would suffer a mighty blow indeed. Being a fan favorite of most who paid attention to the League, Ahri was important to them, and her leaving would not end well for either parties. He knew quickly that he should give in to her demand, otherwise, there were large consequences not in his favor.

"Alright, the League will consider your 'request' Ahri, just give us some time to figure out where, and how, we'd send you to your new home." Ahri gave a smile at this, which Meegan found strange. It was just a smile. A small, happy smile. He had never seen one purely innocent from her once at the League. Only ones fully of lust, and violent thoughts. It made him feel, happy in a way. He liked it.

Ahri turned, and strutted out of the High Counselor's office, all nine tails flowing from behind her, closing the door, and leaving Meegan's eye of sight. He gave a sigh of relief, able to relax after the threat that loomed over his head had left the room. Now he had to think of a way to fulfill what Ahri had asked of the League of Legends. Meegan wondered what his predecessor would have done, High Counselor Vessaria Kolminye. Better not think about, he thought, for whatever choice she had made, had gotten her to be assassinated, and Meegan would like to avoid a fate such as hers. Or of the other High Counselor's fates for that matter. There isn't a good track record for their survival, in his position.

Meegan was a highly decorated summoner, taken from his family at a young age to learn the ways of magic. It was not forcefully, but done for a need, as his farmstead had grown too poor, and needed to remove some of their children, somehow, to lighten the financial load. They had taken him to many promising places of work for a period of absolute servitude to whichever company that took him, and the young Meegan had feared becoming a slave at that time. A fateful visit by those of a mage college had dropped by the farmstead, and they were looking for new students. Meegan had showed promise, as one of the mage's had sensed it in him, and decided to offer the family a full ride scholarship, as long as he did as they instructed him to in the university.

With this much more humane way for their son to leave them, they agreed to the mage's offer. Their son had said his goodbyes, and made peace with his departure. Years passed, until he was one of the most distinguished students at the Institute Of War. He had graduated a fully-fledged summoner, and after a time, was dubbed the greatest under the high council themselves! There was only one more step up he could take, and that was becoming the High Counselor.

Unfortunately, the High Counselor before him had made a trip in some negotiations between, Demacia, and Noxus. It was rumored that Talon himself had made the assassination on High Counselor Vessaria Kolminye, however, it was only a rumor.

But still, the assassination had been made, and the role of High Counselor had to be filled, and Meegan Pa'Chua was the perfect candidate. He accepted the seat of power immediately.

Now with Ahri bursting into his office with demands, Meegan had 101 problems. The rest of which were much more difficult to solve. Should he focus all of his efforts on hers now, or continue on with his normal work, and save it for later? He decided against the latter, and made Ahri's problem his main focus. If he were to let this sit, Ahri may get impatient, and decide to leave the League before they could ascertain a stable property for her. This, he could not allow to happen, because preventing the loss of champions in the League should take priority over all other focuses for the High Counselor.

Meegan walked softly over to his desk chair, and sat down gingerly. Careful not to disturb the many manuscripts, and important articles throughout his office.

"What land would take Ahri?" Meegan thought aloud. It was a troubling question. Demacia might seek justice against her, and Noxus might corrupt her to the core, making her even more troublesome than before! Then there were the city states. Ionia was too constrictive, Zaun too little. Bilgewater too unruly, and Freljord too undomesticated. Finally, the Yordle City too unwelcoming to outsider species, and… The last city state, Piltover.

He mulled it over for a minute. Piltover seemed just right to him. Ahri had never even been there, although the government there would know of her past crimes from Demacia and Noxus, it still wouldn't have any reason to jail her immediately. Not to mention, she wouldn't be corrupted. Many would accept her there as one of their own, as she is a fan favorite in that region, and she would get what she desired, as well as freedom and safety.

Meegan had a smile creep upon his lips. Piltover was perfect.

Ahri's anticipation was growing, becoming more and more irrational as time passed. The 9-tailed fox had found herself pacing as of late, in her League provided quarters. What she had discussed with the High Counselor was troubling her thoughts, and it has been a full week since she had walked out of his office.

Was he fooling her? Was she waiting for a decision from the council that wouldn't come? Maybe she should march into his office again, bring the ultimatum to a climax right then and there! Either yes or no, and nothing could change the outcome.

No she thought, she must be patient. Finding somewhere for her to live is difficult enough, with her track record of being a seductress, and a murderer, but then convincing the government of that area, to take her in, was an even larger project!

What if no one in the world would take her in, but for the League itself? If the outcome was to be so, she wouldn't leave the League of Legends, as it was the only place that did accept her, but only for her 'talents'. The thought sent chills down her spine. A life sentence of loneliness, bound to the League for the rest of her existence. The ultimatum she made was simply a show of her resolve, to get the High Counselor to agree to her terms, and to use every extent of his power to gain this for her. If she left the League, she would be absolutely responsible for doing what she mustn't.

The past few months have been an inner hell for Ahri. The fox in her still lusted to devour the human souls she accumulated from the League, but her other side, her human side, began to form a much solider position inside of her. Emotions she had never felt began taking control, dampening her instinctual passions. The human side of Ahri had taken its hold, and preyed on her mind, driving her into anxiety fits, and periods of self-worthlessness.

Ahri had finally begun to achieve what she had been striving for, and that was to become fully human, but now that she has been seeing its effects on her, she began to loathe her desires. Was she worth anything? What was the mark that she was leaving on the planet? What could she achieve before death? Would anyone ever care for her, ever love her? For these past few months, Ahri had wished she could console in parent figures, but her parents were but foxes. Blind to the larger picture around her, and in that thought, she felt truly alone.

With all of her emotions coming to a boiling point inside of her, she became outraged at what she had become. In every battle since her revelation, Ahri had become more aggressive, more powerful, and more reckless. She could not focus, but she did not care. Her ruthlessness gave her countless outbursts of rage when she was alone. Screaming at walls, and attacking shadow enemies of her emotions, became a regular occurrence in her everyday routine. Until she satiated the new emotions inside of her, Ahri would never know the meaning of the word, 'peace'.

What had she done wrong? This was all her fault for sure! What if she had decided to refuse the human souls instead? Rejected the magic, and become like a fox again? She wouldn't have to deal with any of this! Why was she so stupid, so foolish!? Ahri began another assault on the shadow figures of her inner traumatic stress, and her tirade was as powerful as ever before, with multiple curses and vulgar utters of the spoken word. Physically letting out her rage only held the coiled serpent, around her heart, at bay.

Exhausted from an hour of extended punching at air, flailing of her kicks, and scratching her throat to lose her voice entirely, Ahri had collapsed to the ground, devoid of the necessary energy to continue on standing. She was drenched, from head to toe, in her sweat. Between pants of her breath, she let out sobs of desperation, and fear for her being. For the first time in her life, Ahri had begun crying like a babe, devoid of hope, and happiness. She no longer wished to live.

That was her second revelation. She could just end it all. No more pain. If she couldn't handle these emotions, then why should she try to? No one would care if she died anyway! No friends to worry about. Her family not notable. The League would find some way to fill her shoes. With these thoughts, a wave of calm came over her. She felt like nothing had ever been clearer in her mind. "Why not?" she muttered out loud. "I'm just a murderous bitch anyway."

Ahri then looked towards the pedestal that held her weapon of choice, the mystical orb of power that had sucked the souls from her victims, granting her magical strength. It would be easy. All she had to do was overload its power while clutching it. The resulting blast would leech her of her power, and take her life in the same instant. Ahri reached an outstretched arm towards the orb, still on the ground after collapsing.

She then snapped out of it. She couldn't die! The one known as Ahri must live on, that is what the fox inside of her had decreed, loudly in her mind. And then she remembered that her human emotions had taken control of her mind, and that voice mattered little. It was a decree from a dead creature, no longer residing in her. Why had she murdered so many of the innocent people she wanted to become like? What was her goal? Become like them and then be friends? The truth was, she never had a plan, and that's why she was stuck like this. In a war between herself.

This battle had been fought 15 times in the span of a month for Ahri. She wasn't sure how many more times she could fight it, reaching out her arm to death, and then retracting it. What would happen if she had decided to finally let her hands grasp what they sought? Ahri knew she couldn't mull over it, or she would be stuck in that battle again, and again, for the rest of the night. It was already half past midnight, and she was tired beyond any exhaustion she had ever felt. Tonight's struggles had been much stronger than earlier this month, and if they became any stronger, Ahri may collapse, and never get up.

Ahri began lifting herself off the ground with her hands, but realized walking would be too difficult for now. But Ahri wouldn't sleep there, on the floor, so she decided to start dragging herself slowly towards her bed. That's what she needed, lots of rest. It was almost a good thing, the way she exhausted herself to collapsing every time she became too over emotional. Otherwise, her constantly terrible sleep habits would grow worse, or she even may have been able to reach her death months ago.

Passing out at bed was normal for Ahri now. It was the easiest way to sleep, and it meant she didn't have think about every little feeling while trying to dream. Thus, she welcomed the warm, darkness that was her dreams. Even though she had recurring dreams of strange intensity she hadn't experienced until recently.

For the past two months, Ahri was repeating the same dream, over and over again. But each time led to an extra path way, an extra avenue that made it more interesting, or terrifying. Tonight, it was the latter.

Ahri was screaming at the top of her lungs. The shadow she was fighting had taken full form in her nightmare that night, and it wanted to draw her blood. The figure was sitting in a chair, at the end of her bed. She couldn't see its face, but she knew whom it was. It raised a hand, with a scalping knife clutched tightly in its grip. Ahri was flailing, screaming for it to get back, moving to the back of her bed frame, trying to lose any ground between it and her. In life, she would not fear such a thing as much as she did now, but this was her nightmare. She was powerless, and unable to wake up, until the figure had its blood lust satiated.

The figure came forward out of the chair, so slowly, like he was taking his time, savoring every last second of her terror. Her absolute fear of it. It then took a step forward, and moved its face into the artificial light over her bed. Its face was terrifying, a bloody covered smile of every one of her victims she had consumed with her dark orb. They switched at a speed that was barely visible by sight, but Ahri still recognized every last one. She could barely let out more than half screeched sobs now, unable to move any further away from the beast she had created from her guilt. Was this to be her end? Killed by those that she herself had murdered?

Nothing would stay its hand tonight. The beast had begun laughing in triumph. He would have his revenge on the Demon whore.

Taking the blade in both hands, and climbing on top of the bed, the shadow beast become real then swung his dagger towards the screaming 9-tailed fox, and-

Suddenly, a shaking feeling had overcome the dream, as Ahri's body had realized someone was physically trying to wake her up.

"Wake up fair maiden, it is simply a dream!" The shouts from the Steward of the League, Jonas Terellian, had been shaking her by the shoulders, all while she had been screaming in her sleep. "Are you alright madam?" Jonas inquired with absolute concern as Ahri stared up at him with wet, red eyes.

Ahri looked more fragile than she had ever been. She had just seen true terror, and it had tried to murder her, but there was nothing she could do. Defenseless, hopeless, all she could experience, was the pain.

"No, I'm not alright at all!" Ahri began sobbing and laid her head against Jonas's shoulder, as a shocked look came over his face. It was just the Steward of the League of Legends, sitting on the bedside of one of the greatest League champions of all time, holding her shoulders in comfort.

It was all silent, but for the soft sobs from the 9-tailed fox. The Steward felt awkward to say the least, not knowing what course of action he should take. He chose to do the most humane, and friendly thing to do. He began stroking her head slowly with one hand, and began speaking words of encouragement.

"It's alright now, nothing from your nightmares can hurt you. Well, here, at least." Jonah tried giving Ahri comforting thoughts, to make her feel better. What was happening? This is the famed seductress that has killed hundreds of men single handedly! He was coddling her like she was his child! Which was something stranger still, for she was acting like an afraid, desperate child. The Steward hoped that he wasn't getting seduced himself in some way, prey being led to the slaughter. This gave him momentary pause to his soothing stroking of her hair. Besides, he wasn't here to comfort a champion screaming, he was here on business.

"Ahem." The Steward made the universally accepted noise to gain one's attention, which made Ahri's ears perk up, and she looked up at him through her watery eyes. "I have some news to report to you champion of the League. Your request to High Counselor Meegan Pa'Chua has been found with success. A city state has agreed to open negotiations for you, to give you a home."

Ahri's tears then stopped, her emotions then became unreadable, and as if she was struck with a multitude of emotions she didn't even begin to comprehend. And then, she gave a toothy smile, while looking up at the Steward.

"Bring me to the High Counselor Steward, please." Ahri's joyous vibrations went through the Steward like a ray of sunshine.

"Of course my lady. Follow me to the Council room." Jonah had then motioned her to follow, and stood up, outstretching a hand to take hers for support.

Ahri then sat up with full support from her own body, and took Jonah's hand. She then began to standup onto the cold, stone floor. The 9-tailed Fox's legs quivered from pain, and lack of energy, showing that she was unstable to the Steward.

Jonah hurriedly stabilized her with an arm around the inside of her shoulder. "Can you stand on your own my lady? Do you require other means of assistance to walk?" The Steward had a look of sympathy Ahri had never known. No one took pity on her, she was a champion of the League of Legends, a fiery symbol of death and destruction! Who was he to pity her? She loved every moment of it, for she felt as if she was loved, if even for a little while. Another tear rolled down her cheek.

"Yes, I'm in quite a lot of pain, and my body is in a state of exhaustion. Your assistance would be much appreciated Steward." Ahri stated this, and so the Steward continued to hold her weight. Jonah began guiding her, urging her onwards to their preordained destination. This was her fate ahead of her, a pathway to what she dreamed of. A home where people might accept her.

The two of them continued down winding hallways of stone, and torches. Their dim lights calming, and eternal, for they were mage light, a creation of the Institute of Battle. Many summoners walked these halls, from novices, to masters, and professors. Ahri would gain stares, and double takes on a normal basis, that was normal. But the Steward of the League of Legends, caretaker of the champion residents was helping one champion walk. What fate could befall a champion of the League, that they would need him to help them perform the simplest of tasks? Not a single head wasn't turned, either in curiosity, or amazement.

"Steward?"

"Yes Lady Ahri."

"Could you please refrain from speaking the truth, of what happened tonight, in my quarters? It would be embarrassing to say the least."

"Of course Lady Ahri, confidentiality of your personal life is guaranteed." The Steward assured Ahri, and had given her a sense of relief.

The Council could see her needing help, but she didn't want them to know why. That knowledge belonged to her, and the Steward, alone.

At last, the couple had reached the Council room, and with a knock on the door, they were invited inside.

"Come in, lady Ahri." Meegan Pa'Chua had commanded the door to open for them with a motion of the hand. "We have great news for y-." The High Counselor wasn't able to finish that sentence, as he, and his fellow summoners of the Council, witnessed the Steward of the League helping Ahri walk into the room.

"Steward, what is the meaning of this? What has befallen lady Ahri with pain?" The High Counsellor was incredulous at Ahri's limping towards the table.

"Forgive me High Counselor, Lady Ahri has asked of me that I keep what transpired tonight, confidential." The Steward's explanation had the Counselor turn his gaze upon Ahri, and the 9-tailed fox confirmed what the Steward had said with a nod of the head.

"I see… but does this affect what you have requested of us Lady Ahri? Do you still wish to live among other, normal, human beings?" Meegan inquired her in front of the rest of the council.

The council here was comprised of the head professors, and summoners of the Institute of War. Them, and the High Counselor. It was the second highest board of officials within the system, besides the High Summoners themselves, as it was beneath them to mingle within affairs such as these. They had much more pressing matters to attend to. These summoners were mainly here for recording, and book keeping records. Whatever happened in the Council room that night, would be written down, for all aeternum.

Ahri shook her head no. "Not at all High Counselor! I'm eager to hear the news that the Steward has brought me to this meeting for." The 9-tailed Fox enthusiastically conveyed to the Council. "Tell me, what is it that you've done to fulfill my request?"

The High Counselor shifted stance, and turned his back towards Ahri, raising his pointed finger upwards at a crystal viewer screen. The viewing screen leapt to life, bringing a brilliant image of machines, skyscrapers, blimps, and delicious assortments of vibrant colors.

"The city state of Piltover, what we believe to be the perfect society for you to integrate into. Preparations have been made for the government to take you in as a citizen, we just need your say so to open full negotiations with a Piltover statesman in person. This entire week has been a careful, political challenge for these negotiations to open. What do you think my Lady Ahri?" The High Counselor, and the entire Council turned towards her, waiting for her reply.

"I think, it's perfect! I say we move on ahead to the negotiation stages!" Ahri profoundly exclaimed to the Council.

The scribes there had already begun writing down the transcripts for Ahri's decision, making notes on her newer agreement with the Institute of Battle.

"So it is decided then. You, Lady Ahri, will go to Piltover with an Institute of Battle representative by your side, and thus, make your negotiations on the day of your choosing." The High Counselor's words were then met with a momentary air of silence.

Ahri was thrown off her guard.

"I'm going to the negotiations?"

End Chapter 1


	2. Ahri's Fate - Change - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Change

Ahri's mind was wandering again. The excitement that was pure joy, at the outcomes from nights before, had turned into tension and uneasiness.

"Ahri, are you listening to me?" This inquiry broke the 9-tailed fox's cloud of thought.

She turned her head away from the train window, towards the woman sitting across from her in the passenger cabin. The individual had formal wear on, a suit, tie, heels, her hair was in a bun, and she had reading glasses on. All with a tint of black in them. The suitcase on her lap was open, and papers poured from it around the cabin, taking up most of the space on the seats within. Clutched tightly in the hands of the owner of that suitcase, were the instructions to the representative of the Institute of War.

Julia Muse.

"After you're done sightseeing, we can continue discussing your future." Julia moved to shut her suitcase, but a quickly raised hand held up to her, stopped that motion half-way through.

"No, please, continue! I'll focus now, I promise." Ahri's reassuring statement gave the representative a momentary pause, a raised eyebrow, but that was all. "I'm not being prudent, I'm just concerned is all." With that explanation, the representative raised the lid of her suitcase once more, and continued.

"As you know, I've been sent to negotiate on your behalf, and you are required to attend as well. The statesmen, that we will be greeted by, will ask you questions. You must answer them with utmost sincerity, otherwise" Ahri didn't want think about the consequences, "you may have to go through further screenings, or worse. The deal we are trying to weave could be broken, either momentarily, or eternally. It's of upmost importance you prepare for this negotiation, and that's why you took the train with me." Finishing her instruction, Julia pulled out another sheet of paper from within her suitcase.

"This paper holds some questions he/she may throw at you. These will be good practice, so don't get worried if you can't answer them now." At this, Ahri nodded.

"Go ahead, I'm ready."

"Alright then. I will begin now."

Ahri sat up, staring intently at the representative. She knew she wasn't prepared yet, and she wasn't sure if she was going to be prepared. It was only an overnight ride from the Institute of War, to Piltover City. Not much time for her to get her, non-seducing, social skills ready. The Institute of War may be located in a remote, cut off part of the world, but its mighty forests could be traversed quite quickly, with the power of a steam engine.

She wondered if she could somehow use her seducing powers to convince the statesman to consider the deal in her favor. That thought quickly left her head, because she knew that the statesman in Piltover were much smarter than most people would consider normal politicians capable of. Any hint of them thinking Ahri was sexually appealing, would be met with distrust, and disgust.

"When you stay here, in Piltover City, what do you see yourself doing as a profession, or time consumer?"

Ahri didn't know what to think. She never had a hobby other than fighting, and stealing people's souls. Either would be a damning answer, so she had to think of something, anything that would convince a statesman to let her stay.

"I guess I would try my hand in the creative arts. Something like poetry, or maybe even singing." The representative gave an approving nod.

"Very good, the people of Piltover are, what you could say, over-creative. They're known for their scientific innovation, and are heralded across Valoran for it. The very contraption we ride in, was made by the City of Piltover, all by itself! The League didn't even have a hand in it, and we thought magic was the strongest form of power! Piltover is an example that power can manifest in multitudes of ways. Mentioning a hobby/job that includes such things would gain a positive edge you need with a statesman." This gave Ahri hope. Maybe there was no need to worry, she could convince this statesman easily, no magic needed!

"Tell me about yourself, Ahri." Her hope then diminished. What was she to say? There weren't many positive things about her, and certainly not enough to answer this question correctly in any way.

"What do I say for this? That I'm an ex-murderer looking for companionship of some kind?" Ahri furrowed her brow at the representative.

"Don't worry about it Ahri, you have the rest of this train ride to think of an answer. May I suggest some things? You could try ignoring the question, simply by using a comedic, diffusing statement."

"Alright, I guess I could try that." Ahri said with an unsure tone.

"Let's move on to the next question. What made you choose Piltover City as your choice of immigration?"

"Again, I believe I require your help answering this."

The Representative took off her glasses, and looked the 9-tailed Fox straight in the eyes. "Ahri, why don't you just try using the easiest method? Telling the truth. Expressing yourself to the statesman that we speak with, would find yourself in a favorable position. If you're not there for harm, or malice, then simply state the facts." Ahri had an uncomfortable reaction to this. Expressing her feelings to others wasn't exactly her forte.

"Just try to be prepared for when we arrive, I don't want to take a trip back to the Institute with failure. That would be a long trip home for me." Julia then put down her glasses for good, motioning that her reading, for the time being, was done. "That's all of the questions I believe needs to be asked of you. The rest are simple, and I'm sure you could answer them with ease. Try to focus on those answers tonight Ahri, and get a good night's rest"

The helpful tone of the representative's voice gave Ahri a calm feeling, and eased her nerves.

"Alright, I'll try."

With that last word from Ahri, Julia Muse rested her head back onto her cabin seat, and closed her eyes. It was late in the afternoon, and the sweet embrace of rest was appealing to both parties. However, Ahri just wanted to look out the window.

The rolling grey, jagged mountains details were harder to see now, but Ahri still wanted to look out at them. Their shadows against the sky calming to her. On the other side of those mountains was a faint light, but definitely light. Ahri wondered if the source was Piltover, and if it was, how was it so bright, even from here? She thought that it must truly be filled with a vibrant life, convincing her the picture in the viewing screen, from the Council room, was the real thing.

Thinking about the viewing screen made her ponder on what was said before she left. Back on the night, where she had discovered what she must do.

"I'm going to the negotiations?" Ahri had a look of shock on her face.

"Yes, it was agreed by the Council, from the conditions given by the city of Piltover, that you must come in person. Otherwise, there could be no deal at all." The High Counsellor stated this matter-of-factly.

Ahri didn't know what to say. She wanted to fight the decision, to have a negotiator sent in her place, without her having to take the responsibility. Ahri knew they would ask her questions, questions she might not want to answer. But she saw the firm demeanor of the way he said it. There was no way to fight this battle, but to surrender.

With a sigh, she agreed. "Then I will go to Piltover in person."

The High Counselor gave a smile of approval. "Good, then we can approve a day for you to set off. What day to you wish to leave on your journey?"

The 9-tailed Fox gave this a momentary thought. Now that she could achieve her one and only goal in life, she wanted it as soon as possible.

"Can I leave tomorrow morning?" The High Counselor gave a grin at Ahri's question.

"Tomorrow morning would be very difficult indeed, as we need to prepare our representative of the Institute of War first. Her instructions must be prepared fully by our scribes, and then she must receive them in an orderly fashion. Rushing that could damage the negotiations, and besides, you're limping right now." Meegan waved a hand towards Ahri's legs, and she realized that Jonah, the Steward of the League, was still supporting her with his shoulder. Ahri gave a flustered look at Jonah, and quickly looked down at the ground.

"I recommend taking the train to Piltover City, when you feel ready to stand up by yourself, champion of the League. It's for the best, as you'll need to make the trip up to a statesman's office first, to reach the negotiation itself. The skyscrapers there may have contraptions that can lift any man up hundreds of stories, however, I still believe having your strength would bring the optimal outcome from the negotiations." Ahri felt hot with impatience, but she knew that Meegan Pa'Chua's words rang true. She needed to get her strength back before she made the trip to Piltover City.

"Alright, as soon as I can stand on my own, I will make the trip to Piltover City with the representative of the League. But be warned, I'll be requesting to leave as soon as I'm ready, and it will be as quickly as I can possible make it! Make the representative be prepared immediately." The 9-tailed Fox made the Council know she was serious.

"Good, for now, it's in the Council's interest that you return to bed, and gain some strength back, as long as nothing fatal has occurred to you. We still don't know what happened tonight. Are you in any danger to live Ahri?" The High Counsellor had a look of concern again. Ahri could have been hiding the fact that she could be dying that very moment. Even though the Steward would not tell what happened, her life could still be at risk.

"No, no, I assure the Council that I am fine. I can be taken back to my room by the Steward's assistance." Meegan wasn't completely convinced, but he let go of the subject.

"Then tonight's meeting is adjourned, scribes of the Institute of War, amend the transcriptions of tonight to records immediately." The scribbling of pens on parchment ceased, and the sound of pens being set on tables began. The summoners that were gathered stood up, and single filed, got into a line formation procession. One by one, they all left the room, except for Ahri, the Steward, and the High Counselor.

In front of the open door to the Council chambers, High Counselor Meegan Pa'Chua stopped, and turned towards Ahri.

"Outside of the record, is there anything you would like to tell me, champion of the League?" The High Counselor once more gave the 9-tailed Fox a concerned look.

"No Counselor, I'm alright."

The Counselor gave a light smile. "Alright then. Goodnight." And with that, Meegan left the room.

As the High Counselor left the room, the lights began to dim, and only a few stayed on, for they sensed that two individuals still resided there.

Ahri's eyes were casted to the floor, as she was deep in thought.

"Lady Ahri, would you like me to guide you back to your quarters for some rest?" Jonah's voice snapped her back into reality.

"Oh, yes, of course. I should get some rest now." Ahri told the Steward it was time to leave, and they both made the trip back to her room, still with eyes on them the entire way.

Getting into her bed, Jonah's help for the night was finally finished. However, before he left the room, Ahri raised a question. "Steward, why did you try soothing me earlier? You didn't have to."

Jonas turned back towards the 9-tailed Fox, who was under her sheets. He took a moment to think of his answer, but it soon came to him. "It just seemed like the right thing to do. I did what anyone else would have in that situation."

"There are many people in this world, that if they got their way, their hands would latch around my throat until I stopped breathing." Ahri emphasized the word many, and Jonas let go of the door handle for a minute.

"That's because they don't see what I saw."

"What is it they you've seen?"

"I don't see a monster, if that's what you're asking." Ahri beamed with delight at his answer. "Goodnight, fair champion of the League." and with that, Jonas left the room. Shutting the door behind him for the last time that night.

When she was going to sleep nights ago, the 9-tailed Fox had no fear, no guilt, and no worries. Although, she was still a little anxious to go. All she had to do was wait, and be patient. Her fate would allow her to move on soon, and that made her sleep easy.

Ahri thought back on that night fondly, for it was the first time that she had felt loved, even if not by a lover, but a caretaker. The moment was sweet, and the kind words made her shiver in delight, filling up a void that hadn't been filled since her first step on Valoran soil.

Thinking about that night also made her remember how tired she was. Tomorrow could possibly be the biggest day of her life, so she laid down on the cabin car seat, across from the representative, and quietly dozed off. The soft, puffing noises the train made, soothing her.

"Wake up Ahri," a light hand on the 9-tailed Fox's shoulder awoke her from her sleep, "you're going to want to see this."

"What is it, have we arrived in Piltover City?" Ahri began to sit up, rubbing a tired eye with her hand.

"See for yourself." A motion from the representative's hand led Ahri's sight towards the window, and her breath was taken away.

Outside that window, was a miracle of innovation, and the vision of a million inventors! Before Ahri was the great city of Piltover. The only summary that does the city justice, is the word 'passion'. As the canvas is an artist's landscape to change, Piltover City was the scientist's and the visionary. Great airships flew by the train, as it was raised hundreds of feet above the ground, a testament to the strength of the city's architectural might, just as much as the skyscrapers were. On either side of the train were multitudes of these skyscraper structures, like they were there just to fight against gravity! The city was draped in all sorts of colors, with the buildings more conservatively designed, and the airships much more vibrant, as they could stand out amongst the clouds, and be noticed by other ships.

Advertisements were placed in strategic locations all around the train. On railings on either side, on top of large buildings, hanging off their sides, and even floating ones! Ahri noticed a particularly enticing advertisement of perfume.

'L'odeur de Fromage' it read, with a man holding it while the image zoomed towards his face, and showed the perfume model wink at the camera. Ahri chuckled. It was absolutely ridiculous, but it made her want some of whatever it was.

Between skyscrapers, Ahri could look down into expansive streets, bustling with hundreds of automobiles, and thousands of passerby on the sidewalks. She wondered what it would feel like walking among them, as a citizen of Piltover. Sooner than she thought, the 9-tailed Fox would be doing just that.

A loudspeaker cut through the silence of the cabin car, and began issuing a pre-recorded message from the conductor. "All passengers of the Piltover City Express, be prepared to exit through one of the portals on the right side of the platform. The doors you can use will be marked by a green light. If your door does not have a green light lit, then proceed to find a door that does. If you are having trouble exiting the train, or require customer service to exit the train, one of our associates can help you. Just find one at the front of any cabin car. Thank you again for choosing Piltover City Express as your form of transportation into Piltover City. Have a nice visit, and don't forget to rate the service provided to you with your complimentary pamphlets, provided as you leave the train."

Ahri was listening intently at the conductor's words, and noticed that the train seemed to be slowing down outside of the window. Turning her head towards the representative, she noticed that Julia had already begun packing up her papers during the message. Julia looked up at the 9-tailed Fox, and gave her a smile.

"It's alright to get up and go right now, I'll be along shortly. Just find a door with a green light." The representative calmly told Ahri, as she continued packing her suitcase.

Ahri stood up, and moved to the door. Opening it, she found no other passengers in her cabin getting up to go as well. She thought that it must be because there weren't many people coming from the Institute of War to Piltover City anyway. Why would there be? Coming here, from the Institute of War, is always about business. Homes were provided by the Institute of War if you worked there. Commuting wasn't something you do when you become a summoner.

At last, the train slowed to an almost crawl, and a platform started sliding by the train, elevated just as high. Moving along the corridor, she positioned herself in front of a door with a green triangle positioned to its side. The brakes could finally be felt stopping the train in its tracks, making it slide backwards a little. Sounds of steam letting off, and the brakes compressing could be heard, making Ahri startled. She thought, "Was that a snake?" For Ahri hadn't ridden a train before.

The 9-tailed Fox didn't have much time to think about it, as the door began to open in front of her. Air poured in from overhead vents as the door did so, matting Ahri's ears against the back of her head, and she began to step outside. Because of the height that the platform was at, leaving it unprotected to the elements would mean people flying off due to high wind speeds. Piltover City couldn't have visitors flying off of their structures, so a fully enclosed glass window system surrounded the platform.

Moving forwards, Ahri had only one path to take, due to the railings blocking her from doing otherwise. Before her were flights of stairs, and a very noisy line of people to her left, all waiting to enter the train. It felt odd, as she was the only one walking out of the train in that moment. That was, until the representative exited behind Ahri, still much further away. Before she reached the end of the railings, a friendly Piltover City Express associate handed her a pamphlet. Ahri took it, but didn't really care for it, and thanked the man.

The 9-tailed Fox looked at her surroundings, studying a very large board mounted on the wall, showing train schedules for anyone planning to board one. Many busy office workers were littered across the platforms, talking into strange boxes, with large antennas popping out of their tops. Ahri thought it must be some kind ritual, since what else would bring so many similarly dressed people into a small area, and doing the same strange thing?

Turning around, Ahri looked for the representative through the crowd she had just walked past. Finding her target with a studied eye, Ahri noticed that Julia had on the same formal wear everyone else around her had on. This made her feel out of place. What she was wearing was her traditional Ionian Kimono. She stood out against the crowd like she was actively trying to.

Sensing her unease as she came nearer, Julia decided to explain before Ahri asked. "This is the Center of Commerce and Trade for the city of Piltover. Everyone you see here is on some official business for their clients, so it's very formal. It's also going to be our meeting spot with the statesmen."

"Is everyone in Piltover like this? I thought it was a place of scientists and artists." Ahri stated the question with a concerned look upon her face. "Those people are talking into some strange boxes, and I don't see any form of creativity in any of their clothes. It's so… bland."

"It's true, the business world here in Piltover is very high class, and most of them wear clothes like I'm wearing. This shows that you're their equal in a cut-throat market. You won't have to deal with them after this deal we're making, as long as you don't decide to go into a business field all of a sudden." Julia's shrugged, and then motioned for Ahri to follow her. The two walking down the stairs, and through double doors, into a large open space. Here, hundreds of employees talked and mingled. "Those 'boxes' you see those workers talking into are called 'cell phones'. A new invention developed by Heimerdinger himself! It converts sound waves into radio waves, transmitting it to your cell phone, and then sending what you say to the person on the other side. A perfect form of communication that utilizes science, not magic, allowing anyone to talk to loved ones across the world, or even a client for your company!" With that, the representative pulled out her own cell phone.

"I have my own, and I use it almost religiously for all of my needs. When you become a citizen of Piltover, you'll be issued your own home phone, and cell. I will hand you a list of phone numbers you can call, including mine, and statesman's lackeys throughout Piltover City. They'll be able to help you with your transition into your new home."

Ahri wrinkled her nose at the representative. "I'm not going to pretend I understood all of that."

Giving a chuckle, Julie placed her phone back in her pocket, and then pointed towards a glass cylinder across from them. "This will be an interesting ride for you, it's called an elevator. It will bring us up to a higher floor for our negotiation."

Ahri looked at the cylinder. "How is that supposed to bring us anywhere? Are we supposed to climb up the wires inside?"

The representative laughed. "Watch, I'll show you." Julia came up to the cylinder, and pressed a button on the side. The button lit up, and Julia stepped back. Ahri waited for something to happen, and eventually, it did. A glass elevator pulled up slowly from below, where the two couldn't see, and the doors to the cylinder holding it, opened. "After you." The representative motioned towards the elevator.

Ahri was hesitant, and backed away a step. "Are these safe? They don't look very stable."

"They're perfectly fine, just step in, and it'll bring us up a few floors."

With Julia's words, Ahri looked up, and her knees nearly buckled. Up above her were maybe hundreds of stories, and a wooziness started to wash over Ahri. "I don't think I want to use the elevator, is there a set of stairs nearby I can use?"

Julia shook her head. "If you're going to stay here in Piltover City, you're going to need to get used to using the elevator to get around. Otherwise, you'll be climbing for ages. Come on, they're fun!" The representative held out her hand to Ahri.

Ahri still wasn't completely convinced, holding her hand out, but retracting it at the same time. Finally she took Julia's grip in her own, and Julia turned towards the elevator again, walking inside it with Ahri behind her. The 9-tailed Fox looked around nervously. Were those thin wires supposed to hold their collected weight? They could fall to their deaths, and Ahri's journey would end here!

Julia pressed a button, out of over a hundred options, to go to the 55th floor. With a quick jerk of motion, the elevator had begun its smooth ascent towards its destination. Ahri had begun a panic attack, lowering herself to a kneeling stance. The train had been different, as they were held up by steel beams, but this was being propelled with wires! Heights are not usual for a fox, so her most animalistic sides were starting to take hold of her, and she felt fear.

"Calm down Ahri," Julia quickly placed a soothing hand upon Ahri's shoulder, "We'll be arriving to our destination soon. We'll need to exit quickly, you must right yourself!"

Ahri then shakily, and slowly, began to raise from her kneeling position. Julia steadied her the whole way, but then the 9-tailed Fox looked down, outside of the elevator. Below her was the clearing with hundreds of people she had just been in, but now it was almost 20 stories below her! She began feeling a sense of vertigo.

"I just can't do it, we're going too high! Please, I just want to get off of this thing!" Ahri was now back on the ground, holding her head in her hands, and rocking it back and forth in a cradle like fashion.

"It's only a few more stories up, try to think of calming thoughts Ahri!" Julia Muse was very concerned, and not just a little scared, for Ahri was beginning to shake her. She didn't want to be anywhere near an ex-murderer when she was having a breakdown. Especially the magical kind, inside of an elevator quite a few stories up. "Please hold on, we're almost there!"

The representative's eyes went between Ahri, and the number of the floors they were at periodically, shouting words of encouragement every now and then. Finally, the elevator slowed to a halt, and the doors began to slide open. Julia took Ahri's shoulder, and positioned herself to help her stand up.

"Come on, we're here." Ahri looked up at Julia, and decided she should stand up. The faster she got off the elevator, the better she would feel, and so it was that they reached the 55th floor of the Trading and Commerce building. Ahri shakily got up, Julia's hand steadying her, once again, and the two slowly moved off the elevator. Walking into the entrance corridor, there was a sign telling them where they were. It read, "Center for Immigration and Work Visas."

They had reached their appropriated meeting spot.

"Please tell me there are stairs to go down! There has to be!" Ahri declared with a frightened edge behind her tone of voice.

"Yes, there are for every building in Piltover City, for emergency purposes mostly, but there are. Don't worry, we'll go down those when we leave. Now follow me, the meeting room is this way." Reassuring the 9-tailed Fox, Julia let go of her shoulder, and Ahri began to follow her down the hallway.

Eventually, the couple came upon a doorway marked, "Immigration Settlements." Here, they entered. The room was a bland color, and it smelled stale, like the mingling of so many visitors had soured it. Inside were a multitude of people waiting in chairs. None of them notable, besides the fact they weren't wearing suits, and all of them turned their heads toward Ahri. The 9-tailed Fox was, for the first time in her life, legitimately self-conscious. It was alright when she noticed she stood out on the train platform, but now people were actually paying attention to her like they usually did.

This time, it didn't feel like when she was normally in public. The last time she was outside of the Institute of War, Ahri was seducing, and killing men across Valoran. Now she wasn't trying to use her sex appeal to attract anyone, so she took an awkward stance that made her stand out as different even more. Ahri had felt every bit of her old, confident ways leave her. This was no way for the 9-tailed Fox to act! She has killed any man that had tried to get in her way, and she has killed many more than just they! But she felt all of that being pointless now. She felt ashamed of the slutty way she used to act, like it was a bad part of her she just wanted gone. This was her, caring, how other, normal, people thought about her.

The representative and Ahri walked across the room, past the chairs of gawking individuals, and stopped at a customer service desk. Behind that desk sat a secretary.

"Hello, welcome to Immigration Settlements, I can see you're Ms. Ahri from the Institute of War, accompanied by Julia Muse herself!" The customer service secretary extended a hand through the small slot under the glass window, which Julia took it in her grasp, and they both shook tenderly. "You must have come a long way, so I'll show you to your appointed meeting room immediately, just let me open the door to your right real quick." The secretary then stood up, and walked out of view for a moment. Ahri and Julia walked over to the door, and in a few seconds, it opened for them.

"Come this way, it's just a few doors down." The secretary turned, and made her way down the hallways, waving them to follow her. On the way there, they passed many offices and other meeting rooms, all marked with their own names, or room numbers.

"Alright, here we are!" The secretary stated with delight, as she opened the door to room D19. "Just make yourself comfortable in one of these chairs here, the statesman and her lawyer will be in here shortly to speak with you."

"Thank you for your help." Julia smiled at the secretary, and she, with Ahri, entered the room alone. The secretary closed the door, and they took their seats, alone once more.

Looking out the window, at the end of the meeting room, Ahri could see the side of another skyscraper. A floating sign went by, advertising a new flavor of ice kream. 'Try our zesty new flavor, Quadruple fudge extravaganza! Only at Peach Farm's Dairy!'

"Have you thought of what you were going to say?" Julia broke the silence.

"Oh, to what?" Ahri looked at the representative with a confused expression.

"To the questions from last night of course! Please tell me you thought them over." Julia looked worried.

Ahri felt ashamed. Last night, she had just daydreamed, and then she went to sleep. Thinking of the answers had completely slipped her mind. "I guess I haven't." Ahri shrugged with an apologetic face.

Julia placed a palm on her face, and sighed in frustration. "It's alright, we can work with what we have, just remember to use the advice I gave you from last night." Ahri nodded at this, and went back to having drifting thoughts.

She realized something was odd. "How did that secretary know your name, and why did she seem so excited to see you?" Julia raised an eyebrow at this, and turned to face the 9-tailed Fox.

"Well, you see, I wasn't always the head representative of the Institute of War. I was the-." Julia didn't get to finish her sentence, as the door to room D19 opened, and whom stepped in was none other, than stateswoman Helena Jakorsky.

Helena Jakorsky was famed to be the first woman statesman to be elected, and was known for her outgoing policies on wildlife preservation. Helena was going on 67 years of age now, and has been re-elected since she was 24. The stateswoman wore a button up shirt, with a classy sweater vest, and a belt buckled pair of slacks. Behind her was a middle-aged man, with slicked back hair, and a formal suit. In his hand was a suitcase of his own.

"Hello Ahri, how are you? I'm Helena Jakorsky, the stateswoman elected for environment protection, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Helena walked directly up to Ahri, as she was the closest to the door, and outstretched her hand for Ahri to shake. The 9-tailed Fox stood up, and too her hand. The two met eye to eye, and then they let go.

"It's nice to meet you too Helena." Ahri replied in earnest, and then sat back down.

Helena then turned her attention to Julia. "Oh, I see that the representative of the Institute of War, Julia Muse, is here as well! How are you Julia?" The stateswoman rose the question towards Julia, as she made her way to shake her hand as well.

"Business is going good, let's see if this does too." Julia's reply made Helena giggle.

"Still the same professionalism, mind on business first. That makes you so efficient Julia. It's hard for me to focus like that, but you, you have that spark that makes it easy." Helena snapped her fingers when she said 'spark'.

Julia retorted with a practiced ease. "You know how it goes. I intend to stay on the top of my game at all times." Julia straightened her glasses, sat back down, and opened her suitcase on the office table. "Shall we begin?"

"I believe we shall." The stateswoman turned her head towards Ahri. "You're very lucky Ahri, you have the old Emissary for Piltover running your case!"

Ahri perked up her ears, and turned towards Julia. "You were the Emissary of the League here?"

"That's right, I served here for nearly 15 years before I became the head representative at the Institute of Battle."

"Which will make this that much easier, Julia is very experienced." Helena piped in towards Ahri. "Alright George, open her up!"

The man that had walked in with the suitcase nodded, and proceeded to plop his suitcase on the table as well.

Negotiations had commenced, and Ahri's fate would be decided there, for her to be a full citizen of Piltover City, or her immigration would be denied. What happened during the meeting was a back and forth battle of Piltover's demands. The first issue was finding Ahri a suitable home. If she lived in Piltover City, they required her to have the funds to pay for her own accommodations, but she hadn't a job, nor income. This was left up to the League, so Julia had agreed that they would pay for any, and all, living expenses necessary for Ahri.

The second issue was that Ahri required a time consumer if she were to be allowed to stay. Something to preoccupy her time, like a hobby, or a job. It had to be a solid one, and Ahri would have within a month to find one, or the deal would be considered at fault, and the 9-tailed Fox would be expunged from Piltover City. After some fierce debate, Julia had gotten Helena to agree that Piltover would pay for any expenses that the hobby or job would cause. It was something required by them, but not necessary for her to live there, so it should be under their own payments, not Ahri's. The reason for this condition was never brought up, but Ahri knew why. They didn't want her to become unstable, so having her focus on something else besides her instincts would make her less susceptible to breaking Piltover's laws.

The third, and last issue discussed there, brought all of those avoided discussions to bare. Ahri would be made known that she is not above Piltover City's laws. That if she would be found breaking them, that she would be prosecuted to their full extent. Breaking this agreement would spell disaster for her, and it was mandatory that she agree, on paper, that she understood what it meant. The reason for this one was so obvious, Ahri felt hurt by it, because it reminded her of past deeds she no longer wished to visualize. It was because she's an ex-murderer. Of course it was, why else would they be forcing her to understand that she can't break their laws? Anyone in Piltover would know of her past, it was common knowledge to anyone who paid attention to the League in Valoran!

After negotiating for hours, price points, and filling out forms of legal documents that she had to sign, Ahri felt exhausted. "Alright, that's the last one that we needed to go over, let's move on to something more personal, shall we?" Ahri looked at Helena, the source of the voice. "Now I'm just going to ask you a few questions Ahri, just so that I can get to know you more personally. Is that alright with you? You don't have to answer any if you don't want to."

Ahri knew she shouldn't refuse, the door was just left open for her to run, but it was a trap. She needed to say yes, otherwise, she wouldn't be getting in. It was a political ploy. "Go ahead, I'm ready." The 9-tailed Fox nodding while she said this, showing the stateswoman she could begin.

"Eager are we? I'm just going to ask you three simple questions. Here's the first." Ahri got ready. "What do you think you'll be doing once you set yourself up here in Piltover City?"

Ahri already knew the answer to that one. "I thought I'd try my hand at something creative, like poetry, or maybe music. I just feel like expressing myself artistically."

Helena smiled at this, and continued on. "Would you care to tell me about yourself?"

"Of course! I'm a champion of the League of Legends as you know, but not many people know where I came from. I was transformed magically by a dying mage's last spell, from a fox, into a woman. I still go back, time to time, to visit mother and father fox of course. How could I not see family once in a while?"

Ahri's jester was met with a successful outburst of laughter from Helena, and a coy chuckle from Julia. The lawyer remained expressionless, probably because he was soulless. "I see you're not open to that question so much, but I can understand that. You are a champion of the League after all, and besides, I like your sense of humor a lot." Helena chimed with praise. "Last question Ahri, and it's the most important one. Why do you wish to immigrate here? What brings you to Piltover City?"

Ahri thought for a moment. The answer should be simple, something the stateswoman would like you to say. The 9-tailed Fox started thinking more frantically when her inner thoughts could not solve the answer right away. What if she can't come up with anything? What if this made her turn her away? She had to think of something right this second! And then it came to her. It was so easy. All she had to do, was take the advice from Julia, the one she received the other night.

"I came here because, this is a place of change, and I believe I've changed."

End Chapter 2


	3. Ahri's Fate -The Demon Whore- Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Demon Whore

The Fox fell over, and tried to take deep breath, her lungs compressed to a heaving pain. Blue energy was all around her, electrifying the air, and creating a crackling noise that deafened the ear. The now transformed fox had begun clawing the earth around her, trying to find purchase as she gasped for air.

The final, dying breath of a man next to her, could barely be heard over the soul storm containing the Fox. He was just a small man, bald, and covered in runic tattoos. His deep blue eyes, burned with the same electrical intensity as the magic seeping from his body. The outstretched hand of the mage, then began to lower, as the spell around the Fox had started to fade. Finally, his hand hit the ground, and the spell dissipated, now just a memory.

She just wanted to get away from this place now, so she got up to walk. She tried to, at least, but the realization that her legs were broken struck her. They were clearly broken in the middle, why else couldn't she easily walk away, as her paws dragged behind her? The Fox wiggled her toes. Her toes. She had toes now?

Startled, the once fox, looked down at its hands. Hands? Foxes don't have hands, so why did she? Seeing her hands, the Fox looked around at her back legs. It was hard for her to strain her neck at first, so she got up, positioned on her back legs. In a kneeling position, she fell backwards, feet raised into the air. Feet? Foxes don't have feet! Wiggling her toes in front of her, the Fox confirmed that they were indeed hers.

What was she going to do? She couldn't possibly have been transformed into a human, could she? Looking around for the man that had done this to her, the Fox's sight rested upon the dead corpse. Outraged, she crawled over to him, and began hitting him.

"Wake up, you can't die! How am I supposed to turn back into my true form? Wake up!" The Fox's outburst could not be heard by the man, but she noticed them almost immediately. Her hands clasped up to her mouth in shock. She could talk, the Fox could talk! And she knew all of the words by heart, like she had been speaking them her entire life! But what else did she know?

The Fox began looking into her memories, searching for something she knew not to be hers. Looking back, she remembered when she was a child, playing with a toy. Wait, that wasn't right. Those weren't her memories, they were someone else's! Her memories had changed as well, not just her common knowledge!

The Fox began tearing up, almost upon the breaking point of hysteria. Holding her hands against her temples, she started to delve into madness. How could she tell apart her own memories if they were meshed together? She remembered moments ago, when she was a fox, but she could also remember it as a human male. Fighting with the arcane arts, blasting people apart with fire and ice!

What had come to pass, was that the mage had been mortally injured, and everyone that had attended the battle, died. No survivors were spared, but there was still hope. If the mage could somehow transfer his mind to some other medium, then maybe he could make it out of this alive. Searching around, he was met eye to eye with a curious fox. It noticed that he was moving, so the fox came closer.

"That's it, I won't hurt you. It's alright." The soothing words from the mage brought the Fox almost in his reach. "Just a few more steps, don't be shy." His hand shot out, and grabbed the Fox by the leg. Blue beams of light shot out, and surrounded the Fox. The mage could feel his very soul being sucked out, through his arm, and into the Fox. Moments later, he had lost consciousness, and awoke in a new body he had made.

The Fox had begun remembering what walking was like. Her body clearly recommended walking over crawling, so with shaky legs, the Fox got up from her knees slowly. Holding her arms out to balance herself, The Fox grew more confident that this was the way she wanted to move around. One step in front of the other, she made her way across the battlefield around her, coming to its end at a hillside.

On the way there, she felt herself fighting some other presence within her mind. "Leave the reigns to me, foxy. I'm taking control from here on out." A rude voice exposed itself, and talked to her within her. He called himself Cael Erebos, a famed mage throughout Noxus that was attacking the Ionian forces there.

"You're still alive, but inside me?" The Fox, shocked by this fact, took a step back.

"Yes, and It won't be you for much longer, just let me gain some more strength. Your simplistic animal mind can't hold on for too long." The voice became menacing, and the great mage Cael Erebos was taking hold of what was left of the Fox.

"No! This is my body, you can't have it!" The Fox tried fighting back, saying anything she could to conjure her own strength.

"If you haven't noticed, this isn't your body anymore, it's mine. I'll be taking my due now." The Fox fell to ground in pain. It felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest, beating faster and faster. Her mind was swimming with the pain, but there was a voice who didn't fear it. Continually nagging her, telling her she was weak, and that soon, she wouldn't exist anymore.

Finally, with an agonizing shriek, the Fox cried out. "Help! Someone, please! I need help!" The only thing the fox could think of, was calling for aid. By doing so, it had saved her life. The animal instinct had bested the mage's power.

"Who calls for assistance?" An old woman's voice could be heard across the field.

The Fox looked all around her, searching for the source of the voice, and finally, she laid eyes on a cloaked figure. "I do! I need your help!"

Right after called for the woman, she then said something contradictory. "Actually, I'm fine, I can manage on my own." The Fox couldn't believe it. She had just uttered those words without meaning to.

"Ah, yes. I believe you do." The cloaked figure came forward, as the Fox stumbled backwards. One side telling her to run, and the other side fighting to reach the other human. "Don't be afraid, I'm going to relieve you of that hijacker."

The old woman came closer, and raised a thumb up to the Fox. Pressing her thumb against her forehead, the cloaked figure began chanting. Light leapt off of where she collided with the skin, and began forming two distinct parties. On one side, was a thin, sly, fox. On the other, a stout, bald man. The female body's eyes began to roll back into her head, leaving a blank expression on her face.

"Shame on you. Just because it was your time to go, doesn't mean you can break nature's boundaries on a whim! But I can't just take you out. A fox in a lady's body would be traumatic indeed, so I shall sedate you, until we return to my home." With that, the witch began chanting a counter spell, holding her palms out toward the female body. Similar blue light leapt from her fingers, and began melding with the vessel. The picture of the man began to fade, but it didn't vanish completely, just enough that it seemed almost ghostly.

"There we are, come back to the world, a free mind." The witch wrapped a hand around the fox's shoulders, steadying her so that she wouldn't fall. The exhaustion on the fox's face was apparent, but she was still conscious.

"Thank..." The fox could barely mutter the words to the witch.

"It's nothing, just my gift to one of the wild. Now come, I will try to strengthen your spirit, so that we can make the journey to my home." The witch then shot more blue energy into the Fox, and her ears perked up, exhilarated all of a sudden. The Fox's stance became much surer, and she felt able to move on without aid for standing.

"I feel… better, thank you."

"It's no trouble for me. Helping others is its own reward." The witch smiled into the Fox's eyes kindly. Her faded blonde hair almost hidden, complimenting her bright blue eyes. "Now it's best we move quickly, before you catch a cold. There are warm clothes in my home you can use."

At that statement, the Fox looked down at herself. She was completely naked from head to toe. She quickly tried covering her lady parts, but then became confused. Why was she doing so? The witch chuckled at this. Awkwardly, she placed her hands back down at her sides.

"That's strange, I felt… indecent." The Fox gave a confused look at the Witch.

"Follow me, and I'll explain to you on the way." The Witch beckoned, and the Fox followed her. Following a path through the woods, the two had left the field of bloody murder, and the clouds were obscured through the many branches and leaves above them. Multiple twists and turns of the trail led them deeper and deeper into the tree filled landscape.

The Fox was searching through her memories. Dividing apart what was the mage's, and what was hers. She still held onto the mage's dearly however, otherwise, she wouldn't even be able to walk!

"By now you've noticed you're in the same body as someone else. You're body has also dramatically changed, so I feel sympathy for you." The Witch turned her head towards the Fox. "I'm sorry that this had to happen. No one deserves to be so dramatically changed against their will. Luckily, I have a way to help you with that."

Peacefully marching along the path gave rise to a question. "How were you close enough to hear me scream for help?" This gave the witch a grim expression.

"There have been many battles breaking out across Ionia. I had come to the aftermath hoping to heal some survivors. Instead, I must now rid you of a survivor." The witch didn't say anymore on the subject, so the Fox avoided talking for the rest of the way.

After a time of walking, the couple had arrived in an opening within a grove. Almost hidden behind some bushes, an old, worn out cottage awaited them. "Here is our destination. Now I can help you even more than before. Come, inside lays your fate." The witch said this, and walked into the cottage, the Fox following her in.

Inside the cottage was an assortment of tiny bones, old scraps of paper, and scattered runes. A set of ragged clothes, and a cloak were set on a clothes line, strung up in a window. The Witch motioned her hand towards a seat, and sat across from it. "Come, sit."

The Fox took a few steps forward, and did just that. The Fox's eyes drifted towards to the clothes. "Oh yes, the clothes. Here, let me get them for you." Moving a hand in their direction, the witch levitated them toward her guest, and the Fox grabbed them out of the air.

The Fox quickly slid them on, and looked more comfortable after doing so. Laughing a bit, the witch began to speak. "As you see, your human side has come from the invading mage. Many emotions you've never felt are now entering your mind, corrupting the natural rhythms you were gifted as a fox. How anyone can call themselves human, and do so to another being, is eluding me." The witch pointed at the Fox's head. "Look, you're not even entirely human, the magic placed upon you couldn't remove all of the Fox."

Placing her hands quickly on her head, the Fox gasped in shock. Her ears were on top of her head, like a fox's, but not on her sides, like a human's. "Then there's your tails_._" The witch pointed below.

The Fox looked down immediately spying out that she indeed had tails, not just one, but nine! "His magic wasn't entirely powerful enough to alter nature completely. Nothing is. As there is life, death always follows. These are the laws we abide when we come to this plane of existence. Attempting to escape death this way was beyond cowardly." The witch spat this in disgust, taking on a more serious and stern tone.

"Can I ever become a fox again?" The Fox's eyes began to water, as she looked up at the witch.

The witch shook her head slowly, dropping the Fox's hopes as soon as she had done so. "I'm afraid this is above reversal. It is not easy to remove a wound once it has been driven deep. This magic was powerful enough to almost alter your form completely human. Trying to reverse it would just scar you more, and turn you into an even more unnatural beast."

Hearing these words from the witch, the Fox's shoulders slumped, and her eyes couldn't leave the ground. Despair was taking her. She was a freak. An abomination to what she used to be. To all beings.

"But that doesn't make things completely hopeless for you, my dear. Look, hold out your palm." The witch held out her hand to receive the Fox's.

Looking up slowly, the Fox gingerly gave hers to the witch. "I'll give you a reading, to tell you what your future brings. You see this line here? This is your life line. It's very long, the longest I've seen to be honest! And here's your love line. It seems you'll find someone you care very deeply for, how nice. Ah, and right there is your fate line." Pointing at a split line, the witch took on a concerned look. "It branches off into two different directions at the end. That means you'll have a very important decision to make further down the road. I hope you make the right decision, otherwise, it could lead into an unwanted fate. Let's just hope for the best." The witch pulled away her hand, allowing the Fox to take control of her arm once more.

"I have some spells here that may help you. But they are dangerous. It's your choice to allow me to cast them." The witch pulled a book from a desk drawer, and blew off the dust from the cover. It was a completely black tome, and had a very aged look.

"This is a cursed magnum opus. One I wish I had never created, a long time ago." The witch opened it at the middle with care, not damaging the contents inside.

Turning the pages for some time, the witch stumbled upon what she was looking for. "Yes, here it is." She pointed at the picture within. It detailed an orb of swirling, illuminated masses. "This is what can change you for the better, and help you control what's inside."

The Fox leaned in for a closer look, but didn't look so sure. "I'll explain. You have that mage still inside of you, and I cannot stay with you forever, so at some point, he will resurface. When that happens, you will be completely consumed by his will, and you will cease to exist."

The Fox flinched. "But that's where this spell comes in. You see, with this ball of raw energy, you can capture his soul within it." Saying this, the witch placed the book down on the ground, and began chanting the words on the pages.

Light began illuminating between the Fox and the witch. The blue glow started to grow in mass, as the witch continued her chant, and runes around her started to flicker. Shaping itself, the mass turned into a blue ball the size of the Fox's head. Finally, the witch stopped, and looked at her master piece. Swirling blue was floating there, as if a small star had graced Valoran's surface, but not burning it.

"Here, take the ball in your hands." The Fox held her hand out, but then retracted it, fearing to be burned. "Don't worry, the sphere is pure magic, not fire. It won't harm you if you hold it." After a moment, the Fox then reached for the ball, and cupped it with her hands.

The Fox brought it close to her face, coddling it like it would fall from her hands if she let go. "I've bound it to your will. Whatever you desire it to do, it will do as you command."

Looking at it some more, the Fox began experimenting with it. She thought that it should fall like a normal object. With a crash, it fell to the ground. Shocked, the Fox quickly imagined that it could float once more, and so it did, raising to her eye level.

The witch grinned. "This isn't just a play toy, but a prison for souls. Try now imagining the mage inside of you. Feel his form, his essence." The Fox nodded, and looked deep within herself. She could feel him, as if he was a sleeping memory, but he was definitely there still. "Now try commanding the ball to take him from you."

The Fox imagined the mage being sucked into a vortex that led to the sphere of energy. The swirling mass began to glow with more intensity, and the Fox almost thought she could actually hear the sucking noise.

"Yes, that's it, keep focusing on him leaving your body!" The witch was excited to see her spell working. Finally, the Fox could feel his essence leave its vessel completely, but somehow, she sensed that he wasn't entirely gone.

"Good, now that he's in the orb, it will empower you."

"I feel, different somehow. Like, I'm not as human. I don't have the same emotions. They're now… dulled." The Fox wrinkled her nose, and looked up at the witch.

"That's because the mage is no longer linked to your body directly. He's still effecting you however. The orb you hold will contain him, and allow you to experience whatever he has. You can gain his knowledge, and become even more powerful, and wiser, than you've ever been! But that's a double-edged sword." The witch picked the tome she had used back up, and placed it inside the drawer once more, closing it.

"What do you mean by that? Am I in danger?" The Fox feared she was once more in peril.

"Yes, in a way. This orb can lead you to temptation, to gain more souls for its hunger. You see, this is an unstable mass of energy, and it grants you to become more human if you choose to. But once you get a taste of it, you'll never want to stop until it had its fill. If you decide to keep it, I won't stop you. If you don't, then you will be taken over by the mage once more, for his spirit must go back inside you. The orb takes, but it is not generous, for it will not take on your burden without receiving its due."

The Fox looked back down at the orb in fear. "Does that mean, I need to continue collecting souls for it?"

The witch nodded. "I'm afraid so. All you must do, is meet with another human on a common ground. They have to be completely taken with you, in some way. That means you must appeal to them. Once you've calmed their soul enough, you can command the orb to take it, and the soul will willingly allow you to rip it from its owner. It's a disgusting, terrible thing to do to someone, but it is what the orb will force you to do."

"So that's why it's a cursed tome." The Fox said with a dissuaded expression. "And if I refuse to do so? If I don't let the orb feed?"

The witch shook her head. "Then it will devour you."

"I see." The Fox looked down at the orb once more with dismay.

"I'd recommend you travel where the people are mostly evil, that way, you won't feel as guilty when you murder them." The Fox had expected the witch to say that light heartedly, but the witch was being entirely serious. "Go to Noxus if you want to keep your conscious slightly clear. The men that come from there are wicked, and corrupted to the bone. They've been invading these lands quite often of late, but you can get there with these."

The witch got up, left the cottage, and came back a minute later. In her hands were stones.

"What am I to do with those?" The Fox was confused.

"Pay close attention." With a wave of her hand, and a quick incantation, the stones had clearly turned into solid gold. "The way out of Ionia will cost you large sums of money for safe passage. I wouldn't consort to fooling others for personal gains, but in this instance, I'll accept that it's necessary." The witch handed the illusionary gold to the Fox.

"Pay a ferry to sneak you over the Noxus border. Once you're there, design your fate. If anything happens, if anything attacks you, then you can use the orb as a weapon. Just imagine it as a projectile, and then bring it back. It's a much more fatal way to rip out someone's soul, and it will give you violent thoughts instead of good ones, but it's the only way to attack with the orb." The Fox nodded with understanding.

"You've given me everything I own now. Thank you." The Fox was thankful, but there was something dulling the sweetness of the moment. As if she really didn't care. Belongings didn't matter to her so much, but something from the mage's memory told her it was the right thing to say.

"As I've said, it's no problem for me. Kindness is its own reward." The witch stepped back, and smiled once more. "Take your time gathering yourself if you want. You can stay the night here for rest, or you can begin your journey now."

The Fox gave it a moment's thought, but decided to choose the latter. "I want to get as far away from Ionia as I can, before the orb hungers once more."

The witch liked her answer. "Then you've chosen. Take these shoes before you go, you'll have a large path to follow." The witch took raggedy shoes from beneath some papers, and handed them to the Fox. "I wouldn't feel right if you left without them. And, one more thing." The witch pulled out a piece of parchment from her cloak belt. "A map for you to find your way by. The black X is where you are. The cottage door faces north, so use that as a reference with the sun." Once more, the Fox thanked the witch.

Getting up to leave, the Fox placed the shoes upon her feet, slipping them on with ease. Walking past the witch, thanking her as she went by, the Fox exited the cottage. She turned around one last time to look back at the building. She wanted to ask the witch one more question.

"What's your name?" The witch was in the doorway now. Her hood down, and pale hair gleaming in the sun.

She thought for a second. "I don't know anymore. I've lost my name years ago to the tide of new souls, because of the same sort of spell orb you're carrying now. How do you think I've become so experienced in magic wielding?"

The Fox looked down quickly, forgetting to bring the sphere with her, but saw it in her hand she looked down. The witch chuckled. "If you don't think about it, the orb stays with you, invisible to the naked eye. But you can physically tell it to stay in place when you want it to. Be warned however, always make sure to keep it near you when it hungers. For if you leave it alone long enough, it will come for you itself, unless you dismiss it completely."

The Fox gulped, but nodded one more time to the witch. "Take care young woman. I hope I'll hear again from you someday, but I am old. My time may yet come to pass soon. Be safe." And with those final words from the nameless entity, she turned, and walked away from the clearing forever. The witch moved onto another realm that night, never seeing the Fox again.

Pushing aside her animalistic instincts to hunt, the Fox continued along the path she had taken to get to the cottage. Looking at the map, she would come upon a village shortly after passing the battlefield. It was mind numbing how she was literally an animal just that morning. The Fox was surprised at how she had accepted her fate so easily. It must have been the more logical side, from the mage, effecting her. His life was dedicated to mastering the dark arcane arts. The Fox thought she could use some of his experience to her advantage.

Finally clearing the forest, and arriving at the battlefield, the Fox followed the map up the hill where she made battle with the mage's soul. Thinking about how stressful it was with two minds in one body again, made the Fox thankful once more for the orb. The power within it bristling with light, but it disappeared quickly when the Fox came upon the village.

Entering at a brisk pace, the Fox passed by a few houses, and then entered into a small marketplace area. Many were devoid of life, as if everyone had dropped what they were doing, and went home. There was one stall with a vendor at it, and the Fox approached it.

"Where are the other townsfolk?" The Fox asked the man at the stand.

"Haven't you heard? There's been a battle right next to the town! Of course, I can't just go home because of some fighting between Noxus forces, I have to make a living you know." The vendor shrugged, and smiled. "Everyone else can run scared, I'll just sell some food to the Noxus forces when they come by." The vendor laughed out loud at his joke, and the Fox giggled as well.

"Well you won't have to worry about them, because I came by the way of the battlefield."

The vendor gave an incredulous look. "Oh, you have?"

"Yes, and there's no more forces on either side standing. All have been felled by each other's hand." At the news, the vendor slumped back.

"Oh that's a relief. I thought I really would have had to sell Noxians my wears. They're a tough crowd you know. They'd most likely pillage my stall, and slay me in the process." The vendor gave a large heavy sigh. "That means we don't have a garrison anymore though. Well, would you like to buy anything?"

The Fox did feel hungry, and the fruit the man was selling, enticing. "I'd like some of those please." The Fox pointed out a row of yellowish, orange, circular shaped fruits.

"Are you not from around here Ms.? Those are called Gempo fruit if you ever want to buy them again, just for reference." The vendor gave a sarcastic grin, but started piling up a few oranges, and placed them in a bag.

The Fox became flustered. The Noxian mage she contained didn't know of the local flora in Ionia, so the fruit name had eluded her. "Yes, thank you. I'm not from around here." The Fox had decided not to tell the truth, and pulled one of the illusion stones out of her pocket. "Will this be enough?"

When the vendor laid eyes on what the Fox had been holding, his mouth dropped to its hinge's fully extent. "Yes, that would do it, for the entire stand if you wanted."

The Fox shook her head. "No, I think that's enough." She had felt guilty if she took the entire thing. Besides, it was fake gold anyway.

"Alright then, if you insist." The vendor handed her the fruit with a shaky hand, and took the fake gold in the other. "Thank you for your service, I hope you have a fantastic journey!" The vendor said as he waved to her goodbye, and the Fox left the market.

If she was going to survive in the human world, she would need to collect more souls, ones with knowledge of the areas she was in. But she wasn't entirely sure how to go by doing that. Taking the pathway to the west, instead of continuing north, the Fox headed towards Ionia's coast, and a coastal settlement.

She thought some more about it. First, they would have to hold common ground with her. Something that they want, and she could give. It hit her as the simplest thing she could give anyone. Every animal is imbued with the need to reproduce, but since she had become human, it was obvious that they took it to another level. Human's enjoyed sex, and it wasn't just a necessity, so the Fox knew many males would find her instantly attractive. Taking this into account, the Fox decided she needed to look more attractive.

The town she had just left got most of its imports from a nearby coastal city. The fishery and trading services brought many a good to the island of Ionia, keeping its economy afloat. The attack led on the town was mostly guerilla type forces, trained to strike quickly, and then get out. Apparently, they were caught by a patrol before they could infiltrate the town, and had engaged with the surrounding area's garrison. This, however, didn't affect the city. Being a major settlement that fed the economy of most of the towns nearby, it had a naval protection force around the bay, making sure to protect the city at all costs.

Coming up to it, The Fox was dazzled by the many lights dangling from buildings, as it was beginning to turn to dusk. The night life of the city was monstrous, with many passerby, and lots of stalls open for business of all kinds. There was activity of all kinds around! Masks being sold, traditional foods being eaten, and merriness being spread throughout the crowds. Clearly, it was a momentous holiday here, and no word of the battle today had yet been spread.

The Fox took care to look for clothes, ones that made her more appealing to the opposite sex. She needed to look her best.

Finally coming up to a stall called 'Traditional Ionian Wear', The Fox looked for the sexiest dress she could find. Quickly, her eyes laid upon a much less conservative Ionian wear, and she ordered it from the vendor as soon as she had seen it.

"The new style kimono, perfect for an attractive young lady, but do you have the money? It is quite expensive you know." The vendor eyed her raggedy clothes suspiciously, until the Fox pulled out another illusionary piece of gold. "Right then, here you are!" The vendor handed over the kimono with excitement, forgetting her suspicions immediately.

"Thank you." The Fox took the kimono in her hand. Moving over to an adjacent stall, the Fox also purchased nice dress shoes to compliment her newly acquired clothing. Receiving all she needed to successfully seduce a man, she began looking for a private place to undress in.

Spying some bushes alongside a local bar, she forged her way behind them, and began undressing. Placing her old clothes onto a tree branch, she started slipping on the kimono, but not before a drunk had decided he would take a piss behind those bushes. This was the beginning of the end for him.

"Whoa, hey, this really is my lucky night!" The Fox snapped around, finding the man staring her up and down, as she still had her breasts uncovered. Solving that problem, she crossed her chest with her arms. "I never thought I'd see such a foxy woman naked in front of me." What a smooth talker.

Thinking quickly, the Fox decided she'd use him as a test subject. When she was done, she could just place his soul back in him. "You're right, it is your lucky day." Wooing the man with her words, the Fox dropped her arms from her chest, and placed her hands on her hips.

The man gave a shocked look, and then began unbuttoning his pants as quickly as he could, dropping them to his ankles. Rushing up to her, he pinned her against the side of the building she was next to, a gasp being let out by the Fox. His breath mingled with hers, and their eyes met. "This is the luckiest night of my life for sure." With a drunk pucker, the man dove in for a kiss, and the Fox obliged.

She wanted this over as soon as possible, so when their lips met, she began thinking of the vortex, sucking in the man's soul. The orb appeared next to the man's head. It was egging him on, amplifying his desires and lust, forcing him onto the Fox with no real choice in what he was doing. Slowly, he keeled over, lifeless. The Fox felt the surge of energy inside of her, now containing the knowledge he had, and the emotions as well. Pure delight is what she felt, and she felt a lot of it. His soul was much stronger than the mage's, not logical, but full of emotion! This made the fox feel lustful, almost like she didn't want to let go of the soul. Wait a moment. She didn't want to let go of the soul at all!

With a sly grin, and a lick of her lips, tasting the beer of the drunk's mouth on them, she slipped on her kimono all the way. Leaving behind the corpse, the Fox strutted back out into the streets.

By the docks, it was dark and hazy. The lights and sounds of the celebration of Ionia's newest victory, a faint glow in the distance. A ferryman laid there, sleeping from the lack of responsibility set on him. His only job was to ferry those who wished to go to the mainland. Anywhere nearer to Noxus wasn't somewhere an Ionian wanted to be, so work for him was short of late. Just his luck to pick the least wanted line of work he possibly could.

Faint footsteps could be heard walking down the docks, towards the man laying down. An individual cleared its throat, and began to wake him up. It waited a while before he got up, and asked what it was up to. "What was that?"

"I would like a ferry ride to the main land please."

He thought he hadn't heard her clearly, but he asked again anyway. "Yes, that's what I said, I want to go to Valoran." The woman was getting impatient with him.

"Is this some sort of joke? You're just messing with me because of the celebration, no one wants to go to Noxus right now." He waved his hand at her, and began to turn away, until the woman pulled out a lump of gold.

"I'll pay handsomely if you bring me there by tomorrow morning." Seeing this, the ferryman perked up, and went to get the ferry ready.

"Of course, I'll make sure everything's okay before we go!" The ferryman headed off quickly, and the woman waited for him to finish up whatever preparations were necessary.

By now, the Fox had already consumed two other people's souls that night, and she was loving every second she had done so. There was no guilty conscious there. All of them were drunks, and all she could feel from them was happiness and desire. The mage side just bore love for killing these lesser beings anyway. Nothing in her had a regret for killing them, and she laughed thinking about the old wretch that had given her this power. What were her warnings to her now? She shouldn't be so worried, because, in a world of men, she would never run out of kindling for the fire.

Within in a few minutes, the ropes were ready to be cast away from the docks, and the Fox had boarded the ferry. The ferryman hurriedly separated the ferry from land, and so began the day long journey to Noxus.

The Fox awoke, with only a small stretch left between her, and the mainland. The ferryman was keeping a watchful eye on the coast, making sure there were no Noxian patrols ready to make their shore party, a dead one. She got up, and walked to the ferryman's side.

"Here you go, what you were promised." The Fox pulled out the lump of gold, and handed it to him. He looked down, with a gleam of pure glee, he snatched it from her hand, and looked it over with excitement.

"Thank you miss, you sure made this venture worth my while." After a while, when they reached the shore bed, his gleaming turned sour.

"Hey, what's the meaning of this?" Frowning, the gold started to lose its color. What was once the brilliant shining outside of the fake gold, was now the grey rock from before the illusion was cast. "Are you taking me for a fool? I want real payment right now." The ferryman angrily stomped over to the Fox before she could leave the ferry, and took her fiercely by the arm. "You're not leaving until I get what I deserve!"

"Then you'll get it." With a slutty wink, the Fox began slipping off the shoulder part of her kimono with her other hand. The ferryman's eyes followed her hand the entire way, until she was bare naked before her.

"Now that's more like it!" It wasn't long before he too was laid lifeless onto the ground. The Fox had barely even looked at him as he slumped. Batting her hair to the side, she made off towards a tall city in the distance, after putting back on her kimono.

Taking a direct route towards the buildings she had seen, the Fox was spotted by a Noxian patrol. "Halt, who goes there? Be you friend or foe?" The Noxians held their weapons in a defensive gesture. Their black and silver armor gleaming in the morning sunlight. Spears aimed at her, and shields raised high. Crests of Noxus on their shields.

"What do you think?" The Fox playfully rolled her orb around in her hands. This queued the Noxians to surround her with spears pointed inwards. They took a cautious step forward, inclosing her.

"Come with us quietly, or we will kill you, this is not an option." The Noxians meant business, but the Fox continued pandering around the issue.

"Who, me? I'm just too delicate, aren't I? If you poked me with those, I'd bruise badly." Saying this, the Noxians reaffirmed their stance.

"Come with us now, or-."  
"Come with us now, or what?" The Fox raised her orb in the air, and it shined much brighter.

"Attack men!" Their spears thrust towards the Fox, looking for killing blows on all sides, but all they could find was air, for the Fox was above them.

"Shouldn't have messed with me." The Fox thought with a deliciously violent smile. Jumping all around them, she sent her orb out to attack each soldier. One by one, the orb shred through their armor, into their very beings, and ripped out their souls forcefully. This filled the sphere of power with violent thoughts and souls. Making the Fox only revel in it more. She counted five souls, but six had been killed, or so she thought.

Raising a fist in protest, a close to death soldier let out his last few breaths. "Who… are you?" The Fox turned towards the man.

Searching deep within some of the souls she obtained, there was a girl in a memory. A sweetheart of one of the men she had killed. Her name would do.

"My name, is Ahri."

What happened next was one of the longest open killing sprees in Valoran history. Beginning with Noxus, Ahri did nothing but steal souls for the longest time, reveling in the sickness that was in all Noxians she fed on. Their corrupt ideals only filling her with more lust for their bodies and minds, as if they were play toys just for her!

Eventually, Noxus just wasn't enough, and the populace had wizened up to her presence. They thought they had driven her out, but to be keeping to the truth, Ahri wanted to leave anyway. Her next destination was for Demacia, going through the lush, green forests that the Institute of War would soon stand upon. This was still during the Runic Wars, therefore, it did not yet exist.

Demacia was full of young, stout men ready for a maiden to settle down with. Ahri took this to her advantage, loving the change of pace that the challenge added to her life. Acting out as an innocent lover that just wanted to get married, but couldn't wait to have sex afterword, was her favorite act to pull. So many an innocent Demacian had fallen into her clutches as well. Although, it had taken them much less time to figure out her ploys. Demacia is a much fairer society than Noxus, and the dots were connected to her quickly. Ahri had only killed half as many Demacians, than she did Noxians.

It was around this time, that the Institute of Battle was created, and the Runic Wars had ended. This led into a golden age of peace, compared to the ravages of war before. About a month after she had left Demacia, Ahri was approached by a representative of the League in a small bordering town of Demacia. There, she was convinced to join their ranks, and became a full-fledged champion. This was as long as she could gain souls from fighting in the Fields of Justice, however. The deal was struck.

And so, the legend of Ahri became fact, as all across Valoran could see her with their very own eyes. In every city state, there wasn't a single viewer of the League that didn't know her name, that didn't know what crimes she had committed. No one who had experienced, first hand, what she has done, would ever forgive her. To them, Ahri could never be trusted, and never forgiven. She was a blight on the world. She was, the Demon Whore.


	4. Ahri's Fate - Possession - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Possession

_Devour_

_Consume_

_Swallow_

_**Ingest**_

_**Eat**_

_**Feast**_

_**DEVOUR**_

A voice boomed from the darkness, shocking, what seemed to be, the only inhabitant of this dark world. Its strange chant sounded as if it were a demand towards this one, white fox.

_"N-No! I cannot, they're just like me now!"_

The white fox retorted in an almost broken terror. For one reason or another, this fox could speak in the dark realm. Sometimes a small light would cast a see-through, transparent gloom among the solid black, and with a voice attached.

Look at you, you're a fox, not a human

You chose this path, so you must suffer the consequences

_**DEVOUR OR DIE**_

A great, powerful voice boomed through the darkness, seemingly covering up or expunging all others. After some moments, the fox grew enough courage to say one, small sentence towards the humongous entity.

_"I must not, I am human…"_

Sensing the fox's unwillingness to take heed to their demands, the voices began chanting threats.

We can find another if you won't

_ Do it "Please, we don't need to do this anymore." _WEAK

How can a whelp like you be in control?

The she-fox had begun losing sway over the voices, her voice almost dissipating among the masses. They grew numerous around her, showing vast, angry colors. In the face of so much hostility, the fox shrunk back, and almost seemed to shrink herself.

_"I am still me!" _

Then why aren't you taking responsibility?

One last voiced protest against the voices around her left the fox breathless, as she couldn't answer the voice's one question. A great feeling of disgust and disdain, towards the fox, left her feeling threatened even more.

_ "Just leave me alone…"_

The fox had nothing more to say, and the voices seemed to have made up their minds about what to do with her.

Face it, she's finished

You can only ask so much from an animal

Bitch should have never taken the orb if she couldn't handle it

The voices took rise to their opinions, however, one voice in the midst grew louder than them all. All stopped what they were saying to listen. Clearly, this was the strongest of them all.

**Enough**

**If she won't bear**

**the burden, then **

**I ****shall**

As the voice's booming stopped, its massive aura shown brighter, a deep red akin to that of spoiled blood. Fearing for herself, the fox cowered away from its power, as it continued coming closer to the middle of this fox's small, dark realm.

_"Stay back!"_

The fox's protests were futile, as the aura surrounded her completely, and solidified more and more, no longer as transparent as before. The light around the fox, which was her aura, shown bright as it approached, but dimmed when the two touched. The fox screamed in agony as the red met white, leaving her convulsing on her side. The red aura then became a clearer, more human-like entity. It was the face of the sorcerer, the first human she had imprisoned within the orb the witch of Ionia had bestowed upon her, so many years before.

**Leave the reigns to me, **

**foxy.**

**I'm taking control from **

**here ****on out.**

The fox tried to scream out in pain some more, but it was too much for her, leaving her in a silent wake of pain. The blackness seemed to become even blacker in the fox's eyes. No, it was the aura around her weakening, giving way to the darkness she felt around her soul.

She's finished, the sorcerer shall free us from her grasp

This is what she deserves anyway

Useless fox

Only an animal can be so cruel yet weak

The fox could only manage a few more words before her aura completely dissipated.

_"Please…"_

_ "Help me…"_

It seemed like none of the voices within the black would come to her aide, but why should they? It's all her fault they were no longer within their bodies, but inside this God forsaken orb instead. They should only feel hatred for her. But one voice didn't agree with this assessment.

**_Don't worry_**

_"Hello?"_

The random voice, within the throng, seemed to surge the fox with new found strength, and almost took away her pain entirely from just two normal words.

_**You're not evil, I can feel your remorse**_

It gave the fox reassurance, and filled her with a loving feeling, as if the voice was a beloved friend.

_"Did I not kill you? Why aren't you angry at me?"_

**Everyone deserves a second chance, especially the ignorant**

The fox's question was simply her inner conscience's turmoil demanding a reason for her existence to continue. It had received a good enough answer that time, but it needed another before it could trust this stranger.

_"You'd help a murderer?"_

**I would help someone who needed it**

_"…"_

The fox not only grew stronger, but the helpful voice did as well. An orange aura began combining with the fox's, filling her with goodwill and power. With that last answer, the fox's spirit was suddenly more vigorous than it had been in a long time, enabling her to stand up against the tirade above her. The white aura that was her soul also grew brighter, seeming to drive away the red face beating down upon it. Standing against the evil red in defiance, the fox looked up into the eyes of her aggressor.

_"Away with you, sorcerer of Noxus. I am still in control."_

The sudden influx of spiritual strength from the fox stunned the sorcerer, losing him even more ground than before. Enraged, he turned towards the source of the orange aura, the one who had spoken in favor of the fox.

**Why would you help the one who had killed ****you?**

**Has she bewitched you even here?**

**_She is a natural spirit, and I believe in the good within her. I_**

**_sense none of that goodwill within you, as you are only a sick_**

**_being of greed and arrogance. None should stand by as you_**

**_force your will upon those you believe to be below you._**

**_ You are _****_afraid of death, _****_coward_**

These words brought a moving meaning to the crowd around the fox, changing even the most stalwart of minds throughout the mass of voices. Maybe they were wrong about the fox, it wasn't her fault that she's the way she is now. If it had not been for the unholy act of the sorcerer, trying to bind nature to his will, then she would have lived out her days as a sly fox of the wild. This realization swayed some of the braver voices to action.

**I believe this man is right**

We were wrong to judge an animal so viciously

_Leave her alone sorcerer, your time should have ended long ago_

And thus, the collective effort of the voices pushed towards the sorcerer, binding his will deeper into the abyss they currently resided in. This was the last effort needed to tip the balances towards the favor of the fox. One last moment before the face of the blood red aura fully dissolved, he looked back at the fox.

**Someday, I'll take control of you foxy, and you won't be able to stop me then**

**Not even with the help of others**

With those last words said, the red aura disappeared from view, and the fox was once more alone. Even the orange aura of the nameless man that had helped her was nowhere to be found. The fox looked down at the ground in exhaustion, and when she opened her eyes again, her paws had been replaced with hands. Her current body had taken precedent in this realm of the spirits, marking a large change of style for where she was. The 9-tailed fox's aura then faded out, and it seemed like she was the last one left in this cold, dark world of sadness. That was until, she finally woke up.

Writer's note - (Sorry for the haitus guys, but it's over now! However, I'll be posting these irregularly, and chapter 4 isn't even done yet. That'll be coming soon, trust me!)

It was cold in the High Counselor's office that evening. The room was well equipped with spells of protection, purity, and a warm hearth for comfort. These things did not comfort the High Counselor though. All he felt was cold.

"Where is it? I could not have left it out! I had it here, in a place that only I can find!" The wizard was muttering to himself in an irritated drone, all the while checking hiding spots, peeling back illusions, and revealing even more hidings spots within the confines of his office. "It couldn't have been moved by anyone but myself, otherwise..." That last thought left him to ponder a moment, and he hesitated in his search. "Don't go being paranoid Heywand, so it's probably nothing, you've just misplaced it a while ago..." He waved a dismissive hand towards the places he was looking through, but then a fear gripped his heart.

The wizard paced back over to his desk, a large, mahogany, chiseled set. Ancient in its own right, its existence spanned much longer than the current High Counselor's life. High Counselor Heywand Relivash slammed his fists on the surface of the antique with anger behind the blow. "I could not have misplaced it, it's my most important documents! Absolutely no one can see them but me!" The rage had built up past a boiling point within the old wizard, his fear taking hold of him. "If anyone finds out about what I've been doing..." Heywand thought to himself of the consequences.

The sigils and protections around him made him feel the opposite of safe. They felt constrictive. Stone walls surrounding him suddenly gave the impression of a prison, and the grey seemed bleak and oppressive. Relivash was bordering insanity, "Someone has stolen them, I know it!", and then a devious plot had entered his mind, "Wait, I know! I can use a possession spell to seek out the thief's location, then I'll silence him before he can say a word of it! Anyone with knowledge, that they've taken what belongs to me, shall not escape this charm." Reaching down into his desk, Heywand pulled out a slender tube containing some black powder. Pouring the contents out onto his desk, the wizard then began chanting the words of power to himself. "Fuhrs za i'ar siahsu." Roughly translated, the spell read, "_Find me the one who has taken the secrets._"

The black powder began to sparkle, and the wizard could feel his soul leaving his body. After a moment experiencing a deep feeling of his soul being dragged through water, the wizard opened his eyes, as streams of light passed around him. Looking through this light, it appeared as if he had a bird's eye view of the Institute of War, and then he plunged through the ceiling into the summoner's living quarters. Searching among the many students that resided there, the wizard smiled as he found the quarry he sought, as the spell illuminated her above the rest sleeping around her. "There you are my little thief." Heywand forced his spirit back into his body, and regained awareness of his physical surroundings. "She thinks she can simply take what is mine without me knowing of it? I'll go there right now and show her what I think of this insult!" The wizard began towards the door, until it opened suddenly, no knock announcing this visitor's intrusion. The High Counselor, taken aback, questioned the nighttime invasion of his office. "Who's there? What business do you have with me?"

Blue eyes looked up at him, as the form holding the door knob had begun to slump to the ground onto its knees. The 9-tailed fox was gasping hard, her chest heaving with effort, and she looked up at the High Counselor once more. "Please... Help me..."

Saying Heywand was shocked is an understatement, as one of the champions of the League of Legends had just collapsed in the entrance to his office. "What is ailing you fair one?" Heywand had kept his composure from the random event, and made his way to give Ahri a shoulder.

"I've almost been... possessed." The fox stated with a grimace. Her eyes shown with that of a regretful sadness, not of shock from her predicament.

Heywand let out a gasp, "How could this be possible, has an intruder stolen away into the Institute without our knowledge?" The wizard's inquiry had made the 9-tailed fox give out a weak chuckle. "This is no laughing matter, you must tell me who has done this." Relivash coldly demanded a straight answer.

"No, no mere man has tried to possess me, but the spirit of one did. One of the ones I have taken from long ago, the first to be exact." Ahri weekly explained in Relivash's arms. This made the wizard take pause, all of his plans and dealings suddenly didn't hold precedent in his mind, and his attention was focused on one question.

"Whose soul did it belong to?"

"You know of him as the black mage of Noxus, Cael Erebos."

Terrible news; awful news. One of the greatest sorcerers of Heywand's time has almost succeeded in taking control of a champion under his protection. Cael Erebos, a name he hadn't heard in so long. Why did he have to resurface at a time like this, when he needed to retrieve his records? "This is awful news my lady, I shall see what I can do to prevent this from happening again." With that said, Heywand had helped her up to a chair near the edge of the hearth.

"Thank you for your kindness Counselor." The 9-tailed fox gracefully showed gratitude towards Relivash. At the moment, she had felt no one else in the world could help her solve this problem, any better, than the High Counselor himself. The hearth had given her the greatest feeling of warmth she had felt in days. Joining the League of Legends had given her hope that the sucking feeling within her heart would stop once she had gained enough life essence. But absorbing solid souls is a completely different matter compared to just the mere life essence of another champion. The orb hungered, and she feared it. Only that one, beautiful soul had stopped her from utter domination. It chilled her greatly, and the hearth stopped giving her comfort when she thought of it again.

On the left side of the office, opposite of the hearth, a large array of private books were lined up on shelves. The High Counselor's book sets held the deepest, and most forbidden magicks known to magekind. "Possession is a touchy subject my dear, as a spell would need to strengthen the soul itself, and that requires powerful magic indeed. First a soul must be strong in its own right for it to work at all." The High Counselor spoke softly to the 9-tailed fox, as he ran his fingers over many different spell tomes. "I don't think you'll have that problem though."

Titles gave hope, but little substance to what he actually needed. "Let's see, 'Master's Grimoire', no, that wouldn't help. Maybe 'Librarium Volatlile'? That was just spells of violence, I remember now. How about 'Manuscripts of the Daemon'? Anything spirit related was mentioned as daemons in the past, not now, however..." One particular tome stood out among the crowd of his private library. "Now what are you?"

With dark purple staining, this particular tome had seen many better days, alluding to have been a deep blue many years ago. 'Pertaining to the Nature of Soul Custody.' This was the one, Relivash was sure of it. "Let me see, I think I've found something that can help you here Miss fox." The wizard gave Ahri reassurance as he turned towards her with the tome in hand. Raising the dusty hardcover upwards, the familiar crinkle of paper began, and the smell of old glue wafted into the air. 'Assorted writings by Toci'l Erebos' was the author heading within. Heywand began laughing aloud to himself.

"What is it, did you find a novel of gags?" The 9-tailed fox seemed irritated at the sudden upstart of cheerfulness.

"No, it's just that I think I've found a tome written by one of Cael's ancestors. It seems they want to help us be rid of him as well!" This made Ahri's ears perk up, and she too, smiled.

"Let's see, here." The wizard pointed out a particular section, speaking of protection against possession, within the table of contents. "Allow me to see if anything in here will help you."

Sitting down behind his office desk, Relivash begun pouring through the tome's many secrets, hidden within the chapter that had caught his eye. After a time, one spell made him stand up in triumph. "Yes, this one, I am sure of it." Getting up from his desk, he marched over to the chair Ahri resided in, and showed her the page he was on. "Right here, it's a spell that will strengthen your resolve in the face of this power, allowing you to control it for a massive stretch of time. This, I believe, should work for the rest of your life!"

This gave a light of confidence inside the 9-tailed fox's eyes. "That's wonderful news High Counselor! Thank you for your efforts."

"Don't thank me yet, I still have to cast the spell." With that said, Heywand set down the tome on his office desk next to him, so that he may read from it while he faced the 9-tailed fox. Spreading out his arms, he began to recite the spell. "Buhrs su raisr a su suui'asus sa sil uhssuhrph, i'ars rssurphsur silrus." The translation would read out, "Bind the souls of the defeated to thy bidding, and strengthen thyself." However, Relivash had not ended with that, but added a last line of his own choosing. "Ti'ahu sil suhu, uh sil'r surasu i'auhsr, i'ars ursr uhr zarrurruharh." The second line would read, in Runeterrean, as, "Take thy life, if thy's resolve fails, and ends in possession."

And so, it was finished. The words of power had created a faint white circle, out of thin air, around the 9-tailed fox. Slowly, it began to shrink around the fox, until it met skin, and shone as it touched. This was brief, however, and seemed to become one with her skin. "And now you should be safe my dear. I can understand that you may be stressed by the events you've suffered tonight, but I recommend that you get some rest." The wizard's warnings were met with a smile.

"Thank you High Counselor, for all that you've done." Slowly, she got up on her own, able to stand without being shaky. It was as if she had become well rested all of a sudden. "I'll do just that." Nodding as she said this, the fox had walked over to the door, opened it, and said her goodbyes as she closed it behind her.

None of this boded well for the wizard. "I had to do it. I'm sorry my dear, but I had to." Saying this with sullen eyes he had been hiding from her, he looked down at the ground in thought. "If I didn't leave a safeguard in place, he could come to life again. I can't allow that." The guilt he was feeling was taking rise within him. The black days of a runic war, years ago, was led with dark magic, and suffering. Cael Erebos was at the head of that suffering when it came to the war. If his kind of power were allowed to walk Runeterra once more, the entire balance of peace the world has experienced, all of it could be tipped so easily. The last line of the spell was meant to kill the body of the possessor. If she had shown any signs of losing herself to him, she would no longer be alive.

But he didn't feel too guilty. It would be like killing two birds with one stone. Two murderers dead at the same time, would be more than worth the sacrifice. Besides, he was certain that the strength of his spell was more than enough to keep Cael Erebos at bay. The powerful magic of the orb the 9-tailed fox possessed is much stronger than even he, not to mention the spell he had just cast contained his spirit entirely. The artifact, the spell, and the life essence Ahri is obtaining should be more than enough to keep the souls under control now. Just as long as Ahri stays within the League of Legends, she should be safe. This gave comfort to his guilt, and Heyward then turned his focus to his own problems.

"Now where were we young interloper...?"

It's been many years since Relivash's fall from power. His scandal was revealed that night, by the young woman who had stolen his personal manifests, proving his dealings with mercenaries buying magically enchanted weapons from him. This had seen him removed from the position of High Counselor, personally by the High Council of Equity. Ahri thought of the events that had occurred that night, so many years ago. But she did not understand why. Remembering Cael's face sent chills down her spine, but then she also recalled the spell that removed his ability to possess her. Thinking of this always gave her strength when facing the souls at night.

Ahri had never actually dreamt by normal means. All of the images, that passed through her mind, resided in that dark realm. Every night, she could watch their past lives, as if they were on a crystal viewing screen. She had grown particularly fond of a young farmer she had seduced years ago, watching as a third party, through all of his past moments he had spent with his betrothed. The love the two shared gave her mixed feelings. First of all, sadness that she had taken this beautiful life away from him. Second, a longing for her to have this kind of relationship as well. It was only human for her to think this way, and not far from animal as well. Animals are more well-known to be more capable of love anyway.

She's witnessed hundreds of lives, going about their day to day work. Their lives seemed bleak and uninteresting, but to an animal, they were wonderful. Ahri cherished every moment, feeling as if she were one of them, working to live as a human being. It's all that she ever wanted, to be human. But she hadn't known that it was never her choice to do as she had. It's what kept her up so many nights, filled her with so much terror. That guilt that she had killed so many of what she wanted to become. In truth, she never wanted to kill any of them. It was the orb that had filled her with that urge to consume.

But in the end, the blame was all hers, and she didn't know that at all. Being an innocent fox, she believed all of the actions she had taken were hers alone. Now she carried the burden of those intense choices, to produce more life essence for the orb to be satiated. It wasn't that bad as it was years ago, as she had nothing but the essence to protect her from being consumed herself, and it had been proven to not be enough. She didn't want to think about it any longer. Her new life had begun, and she looked around herself in wonder.

She was standing inside her very own apartment. This was no one else's, but hers. The thought was new to her. Ahri was used to taking things, used to taking souls, used to taking space in the Institute. However, this was a paid for accommodation, where she was completely alone. No more heralds bothering her, and no more High Counselors she could go to for help. She was on her own, but always under the careful watch of Piltover's finest. The 9-tailed fox could feel this burning sensation, that unyielding sense of true freedom, coursing through her veins. Is this what it felt like? To be truly, human? Or was that her animalistic understanding of being let off a leash? She didn't care, it made her feel wonderful!

Looking around her, she could find anything that she could possibly want to do. Board games were set out on the table, artistic equipment was left out in the middle of the loft, and a doorway next to her led to a warm, comfortable bed to sleep in. The last of which, was the most tempting to her. The sun was beginning to set, and her mind was feeling hazy. Ahri had decided to head to bed for the night.

A special pedestal was setup by the 9-tailed fox's new bed. On top of it was her faithful orb, summoned by her thoughts. The blue luminescent ball was fluctuating with different, deep, shades of the same color. Unlike most of the nights she had spent lately, it seemed like this one would be the least stressful. Her new life, had after all, just begun.

Lifting up the blanket and sheets, Ahri slipped under them with her nightgown on. Resting her head on the pillow, she faced the direction of the orb before closing her eyes. Thinking of that fateful night again, she remembered that brave soul that had risked its being to protect her. Beautiful, gorgeous Amesh. The wonderful, kind Amesh. For a moment, the orb shown with an orange brilliance. Ahri smiled.

End Chapter 4


End file.
